‘I know how much they dislike us’: Defence coach Sinfield is well aware of animosity towards England

Kevin Sinfield approaches his first Six Nations well aware of the animosity towards England which is such a staple feature of the tournament, even having encountered it while doing charity work.

The new national team defense coach has raised more than £7m for motor neurone disease, in support of his good friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow.

In the course of her stellar exploits, running great distances, she met former Scotland and Lions player Doddie Weir before his death in November after a courageous battle with MND, and spent time with members of the rugby establishment north of border. .

Kevin Sinfield approaches his first Six Nations conscious of animosity towards England

A by-product of those interactions was that he realized the strength of sentiment against the “ancient enemy”, which is shared by the other Celtic nations and, to some extent, by the French as well.

“I’ve spent time with some Scottish internationals in recent years through some tragic circumstances, and it’s not lost on me how much we disliked each other,” he said, matter-of-factly, with no hint of anguish. “I understand that, and that it’s quite common in other nations as well.”

Having come from rugby league; that is the nature of the tribal event that Sinfield is now preparing to be a part of. It’s built on cross-border history, hostility and tension, and those ingredients go a long way to explaining its enduring appeal as a sporting outlet for entrenched rivalries.

England kick off their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4

“I love this competition, I always have,” he said. ‘I have always been a rugby fan. I love sport. There is nothing better than sitting at home on a weekend and watching the games. I have also been here (Twickenham) several times to watch the Six Nations games. There are some real heroes of mine in that 2003 (England) team. What those guys did is unbelievable. I can not wait.

So, as the man tasked with arousing English passion and fervor, to ensure fierce resistance against all who come forward, will Sinfield use his opponents’ dislike as a powerful motivational tool? “I don’t just think he’s powerful defensively, he’s powerful in the opposite way,” he said.

‘But if we think we’re going to have a team ready to play because the opposition don’t like us… I think it’s much deeper and more powerful than that. We want to win games because we want to represent our country the right way.

Sinfield insisted England star Owen Farrell needed to change his tackling habits after his ban

‘We want the country to support us. We want to see this place full of white shirts. If we’re going to get more kids playing our sport, it has to go much deeper than building a game plan around teams that hate us.’

Meanwhile, having conceded that Owen Farrell needs to change his tackling habits to avoid further disciplinary problems, Sinfield has stressed that the England captain’s example should be seen as a positive, in terms of his defensive commitment.

“I think it’s quite refreshing that we have a 10 who wants to put his body on the line and wants to be physical,” he added. ‘It’s a great message for our youngest players across the country. He wants to board. The challenge for us, across the team, is to make sure we don’t cross that line.”